Improvement in pneumatic switch-locking apparatus



ZSheets-Sheet 1.

Patented Oct. 24,1876.

1 D. A. BURR PNEUMATIC SWITCH LOCKING APPARATUS. No183,486.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2. IL. A. BURR: PNEUMATIC SWITCH LOCKING APPARATUS.

Patented Oct. 24,1876.

".PETERS, PHOTO UTHOGRAPNER Be it known that 1, DAVID MES-terns "DAVID A. BURR, OF PHILADELPHIA,-PENNsYLv NiA;

IMPROVEMENT I'M-PNEUMATIC SWITCH-LOCKING APPARAT-Usf 1 1 Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,486, dated October 24, 1856:; applicationfiled.

July 29,1876.

To an whom it may concern:

A. BURR, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Apparatus for Moving Railway-Switches and Signals, which'improvement is fully set forth in the following specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to lock any one of a series of cocks or valves'in an apparatus for operating railway switchesor signals with compressed air, by the movement of any other cook or valve in the series, and to prevent ,thereby the movement of any one or more designated switches or sig- "nals after any other particular one has been moved to a given position, so longa's this last remains in that'position, this interlocking of the appliances for moving the several signals and switches serving to prevent such a mismove or misplacement thereof as might result in an accident to the trains governed thereby. V

The invention consists in combining, with the rods operating the cooks or valves controlling the admission of air to the several signals and switches, of a system arranged to be actuated by an operator at a given point, sliding or rocking bars placed at right angles transversely to the length of the-said valverods, and moved thereby through the interwith one or more of the remaining valve-rods selected 'for the purpose.

' In'the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is plan view of my improved interlocking apparatus fora pneumatic railway switch or signal system, as constructed with partially-r0 tating valve-rods, and sliding lock-bars, Fig.

'2 illustrating the same by a transverse section. Figs. 3 and 4 are elevations of one of the lock-bars in its first and second posisitions respectively, the valve-rods-bein g cut in cross-section. Fig. 5 isa longitudinal section is a View in elevation of an indicating-piston and rod,'and of one end of a lock-bar, to be actuated -by the movement of the piston, through the intervention of 'a tripping-lever, or its equivalent. Fig. 8 is asectional View, illustrating the combination of a slotted cam with a rotating valve-rod, and with the arm and'pin of a transverse rotating lock-bar, Fig. 9 being an elevation of theslottedcam. Fig. 10 is a sectional view, illustratingtherelative positions of the locking devices on the rot-ating-valve-rod androtating lock-bar when disengaged, Fig. 11 being an elevation of the locking-piece on the valve-rod. Fig. 12 is-a k view in perspective, illustrating the rotating lock-bar, in combination, with sliding rods for operating the pneumatic cocks or valves; Fig. 13, a plan view of the sliding valve-rods, in combination with sliding-lock-bars, Fig. beinga sectional view thereof. ,7 z

A A, Figs. 1 to 6, v are rods operatin'g the cocks or valves G G regulating the admission of air "from .an air main or reservoir to'the respective switches and signals upon'ar'ailway'at a given station. These valve rods extend over a frame, K, which supports a series of transverse-bars, B B, and are "fitted at their outer ends with suitable handles-S S 8270., by which they areoperated. The transverse bars B B are so supported'in the frame K as to be capable of a free-longitudinal movement at ri ght'angles to thevalve rods.

G G are eccentrics, and D D catches formed upon sleeves, which are made to fit closely upon the valverods, and are fixed andprevented from turning thereon by means "of setscrews h h. .(See Fig. 5.) The eccentrics and catches consistof offsets from theperiph'ery of the sleeve, at one end thereof, each catch having a flat face formedin 'ajradialline, the body of the ofifsetbeing to the rightor left, as required. M g FF are narrow plates, made to em'brace the lock-bar laterally, (see Figs. 5 and 6,) and to project downward therefrom, either with a 4 bar for each valve-rod. An eccentric, O,'is se'-- cured upon each valve-rod, and it is embraced between two of the platcsF F, which project.

for the'purpose from some one of the lock-bars B, (see Figs. 3 and 4,) so that it may produce a movement of that bar, causing it to slide back and forth, when, owing to the partial revolution of the valve-rod in opening and closing a cock, it is itself partially revolved.

If it bei'ound desirable to cause the movement of. the valve rod A" to throw-the bar B in but one direction, it isonlynecessary to take off one of the lateral platesF, embracing the eccentric. .(See Fig. 5.)

. A catch-sleeve is placed upon each valve. rod in line with each lock-bar,.by movement of which it is to be lockedin such manner as that a catch or hook, D, thereon, may be engaged by acounterpart lock or catch. plate, F, upon' the lock-bar. y i

As the lock-plates F F and the sleevescar-j 'rying the eccentrics O and hooksD all admit of adjustment and removal, they may be readily arranged and adjusted upon the valve-rods. and lockfbars to meet any, requirements of an interlocking system, and the order ofarrange ment maybe readily changed at pleasure.

The operation of the locking devices is i1- lustrated by the two,Figs..3 and 4, Fig. 3. rep-L resenting. them in their relative positions when the.air-valve, controlled by the lever or handle S and rod A, and consequently theswitch:

or signal governed thereby, is in one position, (closed,) and Fig. 4. the same reversed with. the valve open. i l

In Fig.3 the valve-.handle-S is thrown over to. theleft, (see dotted lines indicating its .position,) so, that the eccentric uponv the valve- .rod, operating against the plate F on the right,

shall 'serve to. throw the slide-barB and its lock 1 plates F F! to the right. The effect -of this is to withdraw the lock; plate F 'fromits engagement withthe catch D on the valve-rod A leaving that rod and its. valve unlocked.

.The same movement,.however, which thus unlocks the valve-rodA locks the valve-rod A by carrying itslock-plateover the catch-hook thereon, and at the same time, in like manner,

-it will-unlock the valve-rod A and lock A It,

will be, moreover, seen from the dotted lines representing the-position of thehandles or.le-,

vers, and, consequently, the position of I the valves, that in the arrangement of locking de-,

vices as here represented, while the valves A andA are respectively unlocked and locked' inone position of the bar, the valves A and A are respectively locked and unlocked in its opposite position, although this arrangement may be readily changed by a change in [the adjustable lockinghooks D andplates .F F.

.If, now, the position of the valve A be re-- against the barlB and, force. it .back.

versed by turning;its handleto the right, as

thrown to the left, and the interlocking, as

- above described, will be reversed, and the valves A and A will be locked and the valves A and A unlocked, their respective positions -17em aining unchanged, as indicated by the dotted lines, Fig. 4.

. Fig.7 illustrates anarrangement ofthe bar B whereby, whileits movement in one direction to lock or unlock the remaining valves is produced by the opening of the governingvalve, its movement in the'o'pposite direction is dependent upon the movement of an indicating device, El, operated automatically by the movement of the switch or signal actuated by the valve. In this case but oneiplat'e, F, is secured to the lockbar, to receive "the thrust of the eccentric upon the valve-rod, and

; a simple centrally-pivoted lever,T, is interposed between the end of the bar B and the rod; of

the indicating-pistonH, so that the movement of the piston consequent upon the proper movement of the switch or signal following the opening of the valve will bear againstone end of the lever, and throw its opposite end By this arrangement the operator cannot. unlock the signals and switches locked by his first movement until the proper position of the switch or signal is assured by the movement of the indicatonpiston H. a

Where the movement of the indicator-piston is vertical, instead of horizontal, a crank movement must be substituted forthe. lever T, (illustrated in Fig. 7,) and, in. fact, many well-known and equivalent. devices maybe employed as a substitute for thosehereinreferred to to transmit motionfrom anindicating device, H, to the lock-bar B.

A partially-rotatinglock-bar, K, may besub- 'stituted for the sliding. lock-barB, and. such an arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 8 to 11. In suchcase a slotted eccentric, 0, Fig. 9,: is

substituted for the camO upon the.valve-rod,

and a pin upon an arm, J, projecting from the lock bar K, (see Fig. 8,) engages the slot, so

that the partial revolutio'nof the valve-rod will produce a partial revolution of. the lockbar K. Both the lock-bar K and valve-rod A are provided with lugs LM, (see Figs. 10Iand 11,) combinedtherewithby means of embracing-sleeves, and adjusted and secured at proper points thereon each bypmeansiof a set-screw. These lugs are so arranged as. that the movement of alock-bar, K, produced by means of the arm J and eccentric-G upon a valve-rod,

will throw upthe lugsL on said lock-bar, in

front of and at right angles to the lugs M, on the remaining .valve -.rods to be locked, and, engaging theselugs, will effectually prevents a movement of said rods. i i

. Figs. 1 2, 13, and 14 illustrate theuse or slidin g valve-rods actuating, inthe one case, (see Fig. 12,) a partially-rotating, and in the other (see Fig. 13)a sliding, lock-bar. In the first case .(Fig. 12) the partial revolution of the lock-bar is produced by means of a pin upon the sliding valve-rod engaging a slotted arm,

N, upon the lock-bar, and the partial rotationof the lock-bar is made to lock the remaining valve-rods by means of lugs O O, which, when brought to a horizontal, or nearly horizontal, position, engage stops 1? P, secured upon the sliding rods, and thereby prevent their movement. The lugs 0 upon the lock-bar and the stops P upon the valve-rods are made adjustable, and secured by set-screws, as shown in the drawings. In the second case (see Figs. 13 and 14) the sliding of the lock-bar is produced by means of a pin upon the sliding valve-rod engaging a cam-slot, Q, on the sliding bar, and the sliding of the lock-bar to and fro is made to lock and unlock the remaining valve-rods by means of stops R, which are brought, by the movement of the sliding bar, in or out of register and engagement with counterpart stops V upon the valve-rod.

The stops R and V are made adjustable, may be readily removed and replaced, and are secured by set-screws.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an apparatus for operating railway switches and signals by means of compressed air, the combination, with each or any rod actuating an air-valve or cook therein, of a transverse rod or bar to be actuated by the movement of said valve-rod, and which shall, when so actuated, lock or unlock thereby one or more of the remaining valve-rods, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. An adjustable cam or eccentric, 0, secured upon the rod A, actuating any one of the valves or cocks in a pneumatic switch and signal apparatus, combined with and working against one or more adjustable bearing-plates, F, securedupon a transverse locking-bar, B, for the purpose of actuating said bar by the movement of the first, and thereby locking the remaining cocks or valves in said apparatus, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The combination, substantially as herein described, of the bar locking one or more of the valve-rods in a pneumatic switch and signal system, with the device indicating automatically the movements of the switches andsignals, the lock-bar being actuated by the indicating device, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

, DAVID A. BURR.

In the presence of? J. M. BURR, CHAS. H. LUNGREN. 

